Military Service – East Germany, Wünsdorf

69th Mechanized Proskurovskaya Brigade Order of the Red Banner, Orders of Suvorov and Order of Kutuzov

(Wünsdorf-Waldstadt) вч пп 58731


Interesting fact: I gave the military oath to a country that is no longer on the map and was stationed in a country that no longer exists.

The Very First Day in the Army. Brand new uniform.
100 days until the end of my military service. Numbers made out of soldier uniform belts according to tradition.
Eduard Romanov – Personal Military Service Characteristic Written by the Deputy Regiment Commander

Two Years of Service in Pictures

Barracks from the outside
In 1989 American Military Delegation visited our regiment. One of the representatives of the American delegation.
Sleeping quarters of the 2nd motorized rifle company
А soldier must get up and get dressed in 45 seconds. This is why uniforms are being folded in a very specific way. Otherwise, that would not be possible.
TV corner
Soldier’s canteen: 6 people @ the table. Food for the table would come in the large bowls that were set on the right-hand side of the table. There would be one person responsible for spitting the food equally among all people at the table.

Everyday Life of a Russian Soldier Stationed in East Germany in Photos

Мy service weapon was a hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher RPG – 7 “BAZOOKA”
РПГ – 7: hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher
Old tanks were used for the Bazooka target practice using real grenades.

Central Tower at a military training ground
Inside the Central Tower at a military training ground
Мilitary training ground crew

History of the 69th Motorized Rifle Regiment

Years of existence 1943 – 2005

Order of the Red Banner – Order of Suvorov – Order of Kutuzov
  • April 3, 1944 – the honorary name “Proskurovskaya” – awarded by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief No. 078 for the outstanding achievements in the battles during the liberation of the city of Proskurov.
  • August 10, 1944 – Order of the Red Banner – awarded for exemplary fulfillment of combat missions against the German invaders during the liberation of the city of Lvov.
  • April 5, 1945 – Order of Suvorov II degree – awarded for the exemplary performance of command assignments in battles against the German Army during liberation of Dombrowski coal region and the southern part of the Upper Silesia .
  • June 4, 1945 – Order of Kutuzov II degree – awarded for the valor and courage and exemplary performance of command assignments in battles with the German invaders during the capture of the German capital city ​​of Berlin.

The 69th motorized rifle regiment begins with the 148th tank brigade , formed on September 16, 1941 on the basis of the 109th TD according to state number 010/78 dated August 23, 1941.

The 69th mechanized brigade began its formation at the Rada station of the Tambov region in January 1943 on the basis of the 148th tank brigade . In February 1943 she was commissioned into the Red Army . In June, the 53rd Tank Regiment was included in its ranks (the former 53rd Tank Brigade of the 11th Tank Corps, which had fought since June 1942). At the end of July, the brigade relocated to the Tula region, the village of Goryushino, near Yasnaya Polyana , where 9th Mechanized Corps, which she joined. Here the brigade continued staffing and conducted combat coordination classes. On September 10, 1943, the 69th IBR was included in the Active Army.

The 69th Mechanized Brigade During WW2

The 69th Mechanized Brigade went through the combat path as part of the 9th Mechanized Corps , the 3rd Guards Tank Army of the Voronezh and 1st Ukrainian) fronts . It participated in the Battle of the Dnieper , the Zhytomyr-Berdichev offensive operation , the Lvov-Sandomierz offensive operation , the Sandomierz-Silesian offensive operation , the Lower Silesian offensive operation , the Upper Silesian offensive operation , the Berlin offensive operation and the Prague offensive operation .

The periods of the 69th IBR in the Active Army: 09/10/43 – 09/06/44 as part of the Active Army 09/07/44 – 10/27/44 as part of the 3rd Guards TA , it was re  equipped and was in the Reserve Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. 10/28/44 – 05/11/45 as part of the Field Army.

September 22-29, 1943, in the Battle of the Dnieper for the Bukrinsky bridgehead in the Zarubentsy region (15 km south-west of the city of Pereyaslav ), 38 of its soldiers distinguished themselves, who were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, of which 32 were from the 1st motorized rifle battalion under the command Captain Balayan G. Sh . During the battle for the bridgehead G. Sh . Balayan died. In the second half of October, the brigade was secretly transferred from the Bukrinsky bridgehead to the Lyutezhsky bridgehead together with the 3rd Guards. TA , introduced into the breakthrough on November 4 in the zone of the 38th Army, participated in the liberation of Kiev (November 6, 1943).

Order of the Red Banner

The soldiers of the brigade acted boldly and decisively in the Proskurov-Chernivtsi offensive operation . For exemplary performance of the command assignments , the 9th Mechanized Corps was awarded the Order of the Red Banner (April 3, 1944), and its 69th 70th and 71st Mechanized Brigades were awarded the honorary title “Proskurovskie”.

In the summer of 1944, the brigade as part of the corps participated in the Lvov-Sandomierz operation . The brigade was awarded the Order of the Red Banner on August 10, 1944 for the valor and courage shown during the liberation of the city of Lvov.

The high rate of advancing brigade Sandomirskiy-Silesian offensive 1945. brigade with the housing to strike direction Khmilnyk , Radomsko , Stemitelno overcoming or avoiding pockets of resistance, seizing prepared boundaries, tearing attempts enemy units delay Soviet offensive.

On February 23, units of the corps crossed the Oder ( Odra ) River southeast of the city of Oppeln ( Opole ). Subsequently, the brigade as part of the corps participated in the Lower Silesian offensive operation . For successful hostilities in the capture of the Dombrowski coal basin and the southern part of the Silesian industrial region of Poland , on April 5, 1945, the brigade was awarded the Order of Suvorov, II degree .

The 69th mechanized brigade distinguished itself in the Berlin operation . For the exemplary fulfillment of the command assignments during the capture of Berlinon and the valor and courage shown at the same time the corps and its fur. brigades were awarded the Order of Kutuzov II degree. (June 4, 1945).

The final stage of the brigade’s combat path was its participation in the corps in the Prague offensive . The 69th Ibr, as part of the vanguard of the 3rd Guards Tank Army, was the first to enter Prague in May 1945 .

The 69th Mechanized Brigade In the Post-War Period

After the war in June 1945, on the basis of the orders of the NKO of June 10, 1945, the Civil Code of 06/14/1945 and the Commander of the 3rd Guards. TA of June 16, 1945, which was part of the 9th Mechanized Corps of the 3rd Guards Tank Army, the 69th Mechanized Proskurovskaya Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov, the brigade was reorganized into the 69th Mechanized Proskurovskaya Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Regiment of the 9th Mechanized Division . There was a redeployment from Czechoslovakia to Austria in the area of ​​the city of Hollabrunn .

In November 1946, in connection with the reduction of the personnel of the Armed Forces of the USSR, on the basis of the directive of the Chief of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces of November 6, 1946, the Order of the Commander of the 3rd Guards Separate Personnel Tank Division of November 14, 1946, the 69th Mechanized Regiment was reorganized into 69 1st separate personnel mechanized battalion .

In August 1949, on the basis of a directive from the headquarters of the 3rd Guards. OK TD of August 2, 1949, the 69th separate personnel mechanized battalion was again deployed to the 69th mechanized regiment .

On the day of the formation of the unit, on the basis of the Order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR of January 26, 1950, an annual holiday was established – the Day of the unit – February 13 .

From June 1946 to 1951, the 69th Mechanized Regiment (from November 1946 to August 1949 – the 69th Separate Personnel Mechanized Battalion ) was stationed in the village of Drachhausen north of Cottbus . Then he moved to Wünsdorf . In the Wünsdorf garrison , new barracks were built in the 4th military town (Novy Gorodok) to accommodate it. The construction of the first of them was completed in 1953 .

In 1957, the regiment became known as the 69th Motorized Rifle Regiment , and the 9th Mechanized Division became the 82nd Motorized Rifle Division .

Battle Banner. 14th Guards Motorized Rifle Poltava Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Division.
In 1958, the 82nd Motorized Rifle Division was withdrawn to the Soviet Union and disbanded. The 69th Motorized Rifle Regiment was withdrawn from the 82nd Mechanized Infantry Division and included in the 14th Guards Motorized Rifle Poltava Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Division (headquarters in Yuterbog ).

In 1965, the Commander-in-Chief of the GSVG, General of the Army P.K. Koshevoy, decided to make the regiment ostentatious in combat. Three parade battalions of 200 men each were formed (as at parades in Moscow), a company of honor guard – 1st MSR and a company of drummers – 3rd MSR. The uniforms of the officers of the Moscow PKK were sewn to the officers, and red bibs with two rows of buttons along the edges were attached to the private and non-commissioned officers on the ceremonial weekend tunic. Each was given a typical ceremonial set of badges ( Guard , Excellent SA, Class Specialist, Military Sports Complex). By the decision of the Commander-in-Chief, the regiment participated in various demonstration events in other garrisons ( Dresden , Riesa , Halle and etc.).

On November 7, 1967, the regiment participated in the parade on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution together with the NPA GDR in Berlin .

In 1968, the 69th mechanized infantry division, as part of the 14th guards mechanized infantry division, took part in Operation Danube ( Czechoslovakia ). Perform tasks in the localities Kvilde , Vimperk and Domazlice . The entire personnel of the regiment received gratitude from the Minister of Defense of the USSR [3] . One soldier of the regiment was killed. Lieutenant Sedykh Vladimir Ivanovich, platoon commander, born in 1944. He died on September 2, 1968. He was buried at the Vagankovskoye cemetery in Moscow .

In 1970, the T-54 tanks were replaced by the T-55 .

In May 1970, the anti-aircraft division was transformed into an anti-aircraft missile artillery battery.

In 1971, the obsolete M-30 howitzer battery was replaced with the more modern D-30 .

In 1973, the howitzer battery was deployed to the division.

In the fall of 1976, the regiment’s tank battalion was re-equipped with new T-64A (1 and 2 TR) and T-64B (3 TR) tanks instead of the outdated T-55 . There was a change in staff and rearmament of the reconnaissance company. Before rearmament, there was a tank platoon (on PT-76 tanks ), a motorcycle platoon and a PSNR squad (on GAZ-69). Since the fall of 1976 – 1 platoon on the BMP-1, 2 platoon on the BRDM-2 , the control department (on the BMP-1K).

Since November 1978, an experiment was carried out in the regiment to recruit subunits with servicemen of the same draft. During this period, there were two freelance companies of the guard of honor – the 1st MSR and the 7th MSR.

In 1981, the regiment was awarded the Pennant of the Minister of Defense of the USSR “For courage and military valor shown in the exercises. 1981 “.

In 1982, the 14th Guards. Msd was reorganized into the 32nd Guards Tank Division . The 69th regiment was transferred from an armored personnel carrier to an infantry fighting vehicle . At the same time, the regiment switched to a two-battalion state (1 and 2 MSB). Each MSB had 2 companies for BMP-1 (1, 2, 4, 5 MSR) and one BMP-2 (3 and 6 MSR). 3 MSB was transferred to the 115th separate tank regiment of the 3rd combined-arms army GSVG vch 59210. The gunners received the self-propelled howitzers “Gvozdika” 2S1 instead of the towed D-30 .

In 1983 adopted the regiment arrived propelled SAM ” Strela-10 ” instead of ” Strela-1 “.

In 1983, the regiment initiated socialist competition in the Ground Forces.

In 1986, a separate anti-aircraft missile and artillery battery of the regiment was reorganized into an anti-aircraft missile and artillery battalion.

Withdrawal of Troops from East Germany

In 1993, the 90th Guards Tank Division (2nd formation) was withdrawn to the rural settlement of Chernorechye of the Volzhsky District of the Samara Region and became part of the 2nd Guards Combined Arms Red Banner Army (until November 11, 1993, 2nd Guards TA ) of the Red Banner Volga Military District .

The 69th Motorized Rifle Regiment received a new military unit number 65347 , reduced to 150 personnel.

At the end of 1994, it was reorganized into a tank regiment, the
169th Proskurovsky Red Banner Tank Regiment of the Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov, the regiment of the 90th Guards Tank Division (2nd formation) , was renamed . The 1st MSB remained a motorized rifle, while the 2nd and 3rd battalions were reorganized into tank battalions.

At the end of 1994, part of the equipment and personnel was transferred to the 81st Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment to participate in the First Chechen War .

In 1997, the 90th Guards Tank Division was transformed into a 5968 storage base for weapons and equipment, and the regiment, respectively, into a department. The base was disbanded in 2005, and the famous 69th (169th) motorized rifle (tank) Proskurovsky Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov regiment was also disbanded .

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